The following Licensure Renewal procedures apply to LPC Associates, LPCs, and LPC Supervisors. Renewals may be submitted as early as January 1st of the renewal year. Licensee shall complete all requirements before renewal can be issued. Deadline for receipt of renewal is June 20th of the renewal year.

I have included the following information in my renewal packet, in this order:

Completed Renewal Form

General Information

Licensure/Credentials

Continuing Counselor Education credits listed in date order (if necessary additional pages may be added) for credits earned between July 1st to the second June 30th unless you are a new licensee. For example, licensees with an expiration date of June 30, 2015 can only use activities completed from July 1, 2013 – June 30, 2015. New license renewal period is date of issue to the second June 30th. See below for additional information about continuing education.

Renewal validation (signature required)

Ethics Attestation Statement – signature required

Upon application for initial license and for each succeeding renewal of license, if granted, each applicant shall sign a statement agreeing to abide by the ethical standards adopted by the Board. If an applicant fails to sign the statement, the Board shall notify the applicant in writing of the statutory requirement to abide by the ethical standards adopted by the Board.

Professional Disclosure Statement for the level of license being renewed

Jurisprudence Exam Certificate of Completion for the level of license being renewed

A No Fail computer-based Exam (See Exam section on the Forms page of the website for more info)

Shall be completed after January 1 of the renewal year.

Certificate of Completion shall accompany renewal application.

Covers the law and ethical codes that govern the LPCA, LPC, and LPCS (see Exam Briefs on forms page of website and view the Law and Codes page for the ACA Code of Ethics and the North Carolina Law and Administrative Rules).

Renewal Fee – The fee for renewal is $200, and shall accompany the application when mailed; an additional fee of $75, shall be included if renewal is received by the Board after June 30th.

Copies of all CE Certificates/Documentation of Completion will not be required at the time of submitting your renewal packet.

Documentation of continuing education is only required to be submitted if audited by the Board. The Board will conduct a random audit of a percentage of its licensees’ continuing counselor education documentation for the renewal cycle. Selected licensees will receive notification by mail and will be required to submit the requested information within 60 days of the notification. Failure to submit the required documentation shall result in disciplinary action by the Board.

You must maintain documentation of continuing education for seven years following the course completion.

Complete documentation requirements can be found in Rule .0603 of the Administrative Code and on pages 4-5 of this document.

Forty (40) contact hours of continuing counselor education is required for renewal. In the case of newly issued licenses in which the initial renewal period is less than two full years, thirty (30) contact hours is required.

A minimum of three (3) contact hours of ethics shall be required. The required Jurisprudence Exam counts for five (5) contact hours in ethics.

Credits must be earned between July 1st and the second June 30th unless you are a new licensee. New license renewal period is date of issue to the second June 30th.

Contact hours means the number of actual clock hours spent in direct participation in a structured education format as a learner.

One Continuing Education Unit (CEU) = 10 contact hours

One Semester hour of credit = 15 contact hours

One Quarter hour of credit = 10 contact hours

LPC Supervisors shall provide additional documentation of a minimum of ten (10) contact hours of continuing education training related to professional knowledge and competency in the field of clinical supervision. These contact hours are in addition to the forty (40) contact hours already required for a total of fifty (50).

Failure to submit a complete renewal packet in a timely manner will result in additional hours of continuing education.

Continuing education training provided by one of the following national organizations, their affiliates or by a vendor approved by one of the following organizations shall be approved for no more than 15 contact hours for any given renewal period.

Continuing education is required for the renewal of licenses to ensure that LPCAs, LPCs, and LPCSs maintain their professional knowledge and competency in the field of counseling. Continuing education activities appropriate for the purpose of license renewal are those that are directed toward professionals in the mental health field and that focus on increasing knowledge and skills in the practice of counseling in one or more of the following content areas:

Counseling theory

Human growth and development

Social and cultural foundations

Helping relationship

Group dynamics

Lifestyle and career development

Appraisal of individuals

Diagnosis and treatment planning

Research and evaluation

Professional counseling orientation

Ethics

A minimum 3 hours is required per renewal period.

The required Jurisprudence Exam offers 5 contact hours in ethics.

Ethics training shall focus on ethical behavior and responsibility as related to the American Counseling Association (ACA) Code of Ethics or the Center for Credentialing and Education Approved Clinical Supervisor (ACS) Code of Ethics.

For LPCSs – Counseling clinical supervision

A minimum of ten (10) contact is required per renewal period.

Counseling clinical supervision training must focus on professional knowledge and competency in the field of counseling supervision.

Publication activities are limited to articles written by the licensee and published in peer reviewed journals, editing of a chapter in a book based on counseling or counseling related material, or authoring or co-authoring a published book on counseling or counseling related material (maximum reported contact hours within a renewal period is 10 contact hours).

Academic credit granted from a regionally accredited institution of higher education for doctoral work done in a counseling or counseling related subject, toward the completion of a dissertation(maximum reported contact hours within a renewal period is 10 contact hours).

Clinical supervision as defined by Rule .0208, which was received by the licensee during the renewal period (maximum reported contact hours within a renewal period is 10 contact hours).

Leadership positions Officer of state, regional, or national counseling organization; editor or editorial board member of a professional counseling journal; active member of a state, regional, or national counseling committee producing a substantial written product; chair of a major state, regional or national counseling conference or convention (maximum reported contact hours within a renewal period is 10 contact hours).

Presentation activities or workshops for which the licensee was a presenter(maximum reported contact hours within a renewal period is 5 contact hours).

Signed by the responsible officer of an approved continuing education provider

Name of attendee

Name of course

Date(s) of attendance

Number of contact hours

Graduate or Doctoral Level Academic Credit in Counseling or a Counseling Related Subject

Copy of Transcript to include:

Dates(s) of attendance (Completion dates must fall within the renewal period)

Number of semester or credit hours earned

Name or course number

Doctoral Level Academic Credit for work done towards the completion of a Dissertation in a Counseling or Counseling Related Subject (maximum = 10 contact hours)

Copy of Transcript to include:

Dates(s) of attendance (Completion dates must fall within the renewal period)

Number of semester or credit hours earned

Name or course number

Publication Activities for articles written by the licensee and published in peer reviewed journals, editing of a chapter in a book based on counseling or counseling related material, or authoring or co-authoring a published book on counseling or counseling related material ( maximum = 10 contact hours)

Required documentation:

Copy of cover page of article(s) or book

Copy of the copyright page denoting the date of publication

OR

For a chapter in a edited book, a copy of table of contents listing the chapter

Letter from a qualified clinical supervisor with supervisor’s signature

The Letter shall confirm the following:

Date(s) of activity

Number of participation hours

Position or title of the provider

Credential of the provider

Leadership Positions (maximum = 10 contact hours)

Shall have been one of the following:1. Officer of a state, regional, or national counseling organization

2. Editor or Editorial Board Member of a professional counseling journal

3. Active Member of a state, regional, or national counseling committee producing a substantial written product

4. Chair of a major state, regional, or national counseling conference or convention

Shall have occurred for a minimum of six months and dates must fall within the renewal period.

Letter of confirming the leadership position must include:

Name of the title/position

Provides the nature of the position or service rendered

Date(s) position was held.

Signed by an officer of the organization

Presenter (licensee presented a program) (maximum = 5 Contact hours)

Topic must be from one or more of the approved content areas

A letter of confirmation from the organization for which the licensee presented and the letter shall be dated AFTER the presentation
occurred and must confirm the following:

Date(s) of presentation (must fall within the renewal period)

Name of presentation

Length of presentation

If documentation for continuing education is not clearly identifiable as dealing with counseling, the Board shall request a written description of the continuing education and how it applies to the professional practice of counseling. If the Board determines that the training is not appropriate, the individual shall be given 45 days from the date of notification to replace the hours not approved. Those hours shall be considered replacement hours and cannot be applied to the next renewal period.

The complete renewal packet (see Renewal Checklist on pg.1) with a $275.00 (include $75.00 late fee) renewal fee is also required.

If your license expires on June 30, 2015 you must cease the practice of counseling until the license has been renewed. Failure to renew by June 30, 2016 means that a license shall be issued only upon re-application and all current licensure requirements apply to the new application.